National data

Local newspaper readership remains vigorousThe StatHebdo study, which has been measuring weekly newspaper readership in Québec since 2004, shows that the industry is not in decline, in contrast to other print media. Every week, 64% of Québec adults read a local weekly newspaper. Since 2007, the industry has gained 90,000 new readers in a given month.

Readership of local newspapers in Québec

Number of reader - Adults 18 and over - 2010

Local newspaper readership is high throughout QuébecThe StatHebdo study measures not only local newspaper readership across Québec but also daily newspaper readership in areas served by weeklies. The following table presents readership levels in each administrative region, both for local and daily newspapers. In the course of a month, nearly 80% of Québec adults have read or consulted their local newspaper!

Readership of local and daily newspapers
Adults 18 and over, French-speaking Quebecers

More than a milion exclusive readersAmong the 3,530,000 readers of local newspapers, nearly 1.2 million do not read daily papers on weekdays, while 1,059,000 – 30% of total readership – never read daily papers. The presence of local newspapers is vital to the success of a national campaign.

Exclusive readership of weekly newspapers in Québec

The readership is particularly loyal

Every month, the readers consult 3.2 copies of local newspapers, on average, while nearly three out of five people consult all four issues in a given month.

Consultation of local newspapers per month

One of the only media also consulted for advertising

Since 2004, Hebdos Québec has been measuring the behaviour of readers toward advertising. Our study reveals that 68% of readers also consult their local newspapers to plan their week’s purchases, an 11-point rise compared with 2004 and 2007.

Consultation rate of advertising in the local newspaper

The success of an advertising in the local newspaper

The StatHebdo study reveals that 68% of Quebecers do their day-to-day shopping within a five-kilometre radius of where they live. Local newspapers are the obvious media for promoting various goods and services, with the proximity of a point of sale being a decisive factor.

Distance travelled for a day-to-day purchases - Province of Québec

The profile of readers matches that of the Québec population

Local newspapers reach every stratum of the population in terms of gender, age, educational level and household income. Moreover, 58% of our readers are 25 to 54 years of age, a customer group much sought-after by local and national advertisers.

Readers profile of local newspaper in Québec - 2010

Methodology of the StatHebdo survey

Data collection for the 2010 StatHebdo survey was conducted by Léger Marketing between September 25 and December 15, 2009, among 33,436 respondents over age 18. The margin of error is 0.6%, 19 times in 20. The survey was conducted by telephone (43%) and Internet (57%).